As NASA promises to extend the science operations for its Hubble Space Telescope for an additional five years, tomorrow, they plan to not only provide a live stream of a major ground test at 10:05 a.m. EDT but will follow it up with a live media teleconference at 11 a.m. to discuss their initial assessment of the previous tests. NASA just confirmed a contract extension of $2.03 billion dollars, to cover the work necessary to continue the science program of the Hubble mission by the Space Telescope Science Institute until June 30th 2021. Hubble is expected to continue to provide valuable data...

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has detected significant amounts of a silica mineral called tridymite on the surface of Mars and the discovery has scientists stunned. This surprising find may now force scientists to rethink the volcanic history of Mars, as this new evidence suggests that the planet may have in fact once had explosive volcanoes that led to the presence of the mineral. NASA planetary scientist at Johnson and lead author of the paper, Richard Morris explains “On Earth, tridymite is formed at high temperatures in an explosive process called silicic volcanism. Mount St. Helens, the active volcano in Washington State,...

Tonight On Dark Thirty Radio Chances Of Past Civilizations Having Existed Just Got Higher The probabilistic argument used to arrive at an estimate of the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy was first described in 1960 by American astronomer and astrophysicist, Frank Drake, known as the Drake equation, was giving an new revision by two astronomers and the results are astounding. The University of Washington’s Woody Sullivan and the University of Rochester’s Adam Frank published their assessment in the May issue of Astrobiology and Frank is now in the process of a follow-up for the New York Times...

A new video uploaded to YouTube by Tyler Glockner, from Secure Team, points out what he claims are “anomalous structures” found in pictures of Mars. The UFO hunter, says that he found a glowing light formation hidden in crater on Red Planet, and believes that the bizarre illuminations could represent an alien craft or part of a hidden object of alien origin. Glockner said “We have captured a lot of anomalous structures on Mars, however this would be the first time that we’ve actually seen lights on Mars. This could be a craft of some sort, this could be objects down in the...

NASA has agreed to pay as much as $100,000 to Made in Space to conduct a feasibility study on the concept of turning asteroids into spacecraft. Made in Space is the company that has put two 3D printers on the International Space Station to serve the needs of NASA, and the company’s next goal is to pioneer the manufacturing of materials in space, using resources in space. Several companies, including Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, have talked about developing probes to travel to asteroids, surveying the asteroids for resources including water ice and precious metals, and bringing those materials back to the...

Consideration is being taken at NASA, regarding wither or not they should prepare to send a miniature helicopter to Mars to serve as an aerial scout for its Mars 2020 rover. With the intentions of using the helicopter as a technology demonstrator, it would be the first vehicle to traverse through the thin Martian atmosphere. NASA says they would use the solar-powered helicopter, which would be outfitted with GoPro-type cameras, to scout safe and efficient routes for the rover. It should have enough power to make two- to three-minute flights every day covering about 550 yards per sortie. Bob Balaram, chief engineer...

Although many details still remain shrouded in mystery, CEO of SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk has hinted that he will conducting a series of missions starting in 2018, leading up to the first crewed mission to the Mars by 2024. In an on-stage interview at the Code Conference, Musk confirmed that he would announce his architecture for human missions to Mars in September at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. “The basic game plan is that we’re going to send a mission to Mars with every Mars opportunity from 2018 onwards,” Musk said. “The launches will...

The US Federal Aviation Administration has just announced that they are in the process of reviewing an application to have an MX-1 lander launch to the Moon next year, land and conduct a series of analyses that will help pave the way to Mars. Moon Express, a California-based space company, hopes to launch by 2017 via a Los Angeles-based company Rocket Lab’s brand new Electron rocket, using the MX-1 lander which is powered by sunlight and hydrogen peroxide rocket fuel to explore the surface of the Moon over a two-week period in 2017. Moon Express co-founder Bob Richards says, “the coffee table-sized...

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it’s imperative that you have a plan. If you’re influenced by the movies, then you might be inclined to take your chances and head for the nearest pub or shopping mall in order to outwit a growing horde of bloodthirsty zombies. Your average shopping mall is equipped with all […]

Nobody has ever put a lander on the far side of the Moon before, but China is well on its way to being the first. Over the weekend, the country launched a craft called Queqiao – a satellite that will orbit the Moon to relay messages from the yet-to-be-launched lander, Chang’e-4. The Moon is tidally […]

It only lasted for a savage, fleeting instant, but for 8 intense seconds last week an eagle, a fox, and a rabbit flew across the sky as one. In an incredibly rare scene, photographers have captured the moment a bald eagle swooped down upon a young red fox clutching a rabbit, and in its whirlwind […]

There is something special and awe-inspiring about watching new land form. This is what is now happening in Hawai’i as its Kīlauea volcano erupts. Lava is reaching the ocean and building land while producing spectacular plumes of steam. These eruptions are hugely important for the creation of new land. But they are also dangerous. Where […]

Calling all citizen scientists! A project looking for those dying, exploding stars called supernovae out in deep space is also searching for volunteers to help in the work, and you can get real science credit for it along the way – even if you’ve never done a second of star-gazing before. Astronomers from the Australian National […]

When Jean-Lou Justine received the first photograph of a giant worm with a head like a shovel, the biologist was astounded. Hammerhead flatworms, which grow to a foot or more in length, do not belong in European vegetable gardens. “We do not have that in France,” said Justine, a professor at the National Museum of […]

Astronauts go through many physiological changes during their time in spaceflight, including lower muscle mass and slower muscle development. Similar symptoms can occur in the muscles of people on Earth’s surface, too. In fact, it could affect everyone to some extent later in life. “Age-related skeletal muscle disorders, such as sarcopenia, are becoming a greater […]

Exposure to early life trauma can lead to poor physical and mental health in some individuals, which can be passed on to their children. Studies in mice show that at least some of the effects of stress can be transmitted to offspring via environmentally-induced changes in sperm miRNA levels. A new epigenetics study raises the […]

Most renderings and reconstructions of pterodactyls and other extinct flying reptiles show a flight pose much like that of bats, which fly with their hind limbs splayed wide apart. But a new method for inferring how ancient animals might have moved their joints suggests that pterosaurs probably couldn’t strike that pose. “Most of the work […]

Corals growing in high-latitude reefs in Western Australia can regulate their internal chemistry to promote growth under cooler temperatures, according to new research at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at The University of Western Australia. The study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that ocean warming may […]